Feline Spell

I was sharing with the cat boys that some days the people of the world and their doings become exhausting.  How did they keep their hearts so pure in spite of their diminutive posture?

The day was coming to a slow close.  Though the complex was still partly occupied with scraps and piles of construction wood we three looked up and watched the sun inch its way down, a little bit at a time.

 In the then cool back yard Ollie dropped himself on the cool grass and started thinking in his head.  He appeared like he had a lot on his mind

until I saw him stretch out

and start grooming.  Funny face does most of his mental work during self-grooming sessions.

Augustus Sweet Pants chose the back yard wall

and pretended that he was riding a horse.

I started wondering if indeed it was a good idea to discuss such weighty matters with two cats.  Is this wise you suppose, especially an orange cat that winks like this?

He read my mind, the thoughts that were in my heart had made their presence consciously in my mind, and he could read the writing in the air, and he became a lion in front of me indicating that he had no fear.

Augustus was puzzled but he too decided to show me his jaguar profile, a brave heart, a sweet heart that he is.

I decided to remove myself from feline spell and invited them to reflect on this:

O thou who art conscious! …The powers of the sympathetic nerve are neither entirely physical nor spiritual, but are between the two (systems). The nerve is connected with both. Its phenomena shall be perfect when its spiritual and physical relations are normal.


When the material world and the divine world are well co related, when the hearts become heavenly and the aspirations grow pure and divine, perfect connection shall take place. Then shall this power produce a perfect manifestation. Physical and spiritual diseases will then receive absolute healing. The exposition is brief. Ponder and thou shalt understand the meaning. … 
(Abdul Baha-Persian Spiritual Teacher)

We three enjoyed being referred to as "thou who art conscious"...they indeed are so at all times, even when their eyes are closed.  We discussed heart as a gateway between physical and divine.  They could not agree more!  They shared that they keep their hearts unsullied by making numerous kisses each day...kisses that they send out for everyone in need.

I felt so proud that I had to kiss them both and that resulted in their escape.

Wishing you all a grand Thursday.

Ciao everyone!

going to Cafe Aalto...they were puzzled

A special invitation from our dear friend Metscan had me running through my closet.

Thankfully, I have Ollie who usually chooses my clothes for me. Sure, they do get furry after he puts his paws on them but that is the price I have to pay.

He selected these JCrew fuschia capris that I had to put under a lamp to photograph late last night.

He chose a navy cardigan (also from J Crew) to wear with a cami but keep most of it buttoned he said.

He suggested a J Crew scarf to wear or carry.  Methinks he is in cahoots with J Crew.

Though he loves all my artsy jewelry he recommended a classic silver necklace, perhaps it was a Hardy.

Sticking with the classics he let me choose one of these earrings that he had bought me from my favorite Italian store, Contessa.

He even selected my bracelets, Italian again, just to make sure I don't get wild and crazy.

He took a moment to look at the ensemble and then

offered this hand-tooled artisan leather sac with purple handles,  made here in Los Angeles.

He felt very exhausted and wanted to know why I had to wear so many things.

He offered these black shoes, ballets, which are not good for walking but boy they are cute.

Morning,  after our walks and conversations, I got dressed up to leave.

Cat boys read me this before I could leave.

What knows the heart of road and stages?

What of distant and near, while it is drunk with love?

Distance and nearness are attributes of bodies,
The journeys of spirits are after another sort.

You journeyed from the embryo state to rationality

Without footsteps or stages or change of place,

The journey of the soul involves not time and place.

And my body learnt from the soul its mode of journeying,

Now my body has renounced the bodily mode of journeying;

It journeys secretly and without form, though under a form."

He added, "One day I was thus filled with longing
To behold in human form the splendours of 'The Friend,'

To witness the Ocean gathered up into a drop,
The Sun compressed into a single atom;
And when I drew near to the shore of the sea
The day was drawing to a close."  (Rumi)

Then they saw me off.  They prepared pawfuls of kisses and blew them in the air.

Ciao everyone!

I sensed that they were meditating....

When the light dances off surfaces in the courtyard, when the breeze moves the leaves to and fro, when there is no sound of noisy human types, cat boys meditate.

Mr Sweet Pants found these steps to be just the right place for him.

One has to shift occasionally for smoother meditation, and so he did.

Oh yes, this is the right place.  Eyes closed helps him see with his inner eyes.

Mr Puffy Pants first thought that we were having a photo shoot and so he gave me the sexy pose.

He soon realized that it was not a photo shoot, and gazed up to get into the zone.

Dove!

Ollie  : )

Our little orange man....

The cat boys asked that I read this lengthy passage so I would refer to them as Illuminati Cats when I would see them meditating; I prefer to call them Naughty cats with big ideas:

ADDRESS BY ABDU'L-BAHÁ (spiritual teacher)
LONDON, January 12th, 1913

About one thousand years ago a society was formed in Persia called the Society of the Friends, who gathered together for silent communion with the Almighty. They divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind is that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and study in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that of the Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools of this philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and turning their faces to the Source of Light, from that central Light the mysteries of the Kingdom were reflected in the hearts of these people. All the Divine problems were solved by this power of illumination. … When they assemble in their meeting-house they sit silently and contemplate; their leader opens with a certain proposition, and says to the assembly 'You must meditate on this problem'. Then, freeing their minds from everything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the answer is revealed to them. Many abstruse divine questions are solved by this illumination…. These people, who are called 'Followers of the inner light', attain to a superlative degree of power, and are entirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men rely on the statements of these people: by themselves -- within themselves -- they solve all mysteries. If they find a solution with the assistance of the inner light, they accept it, and afterwards they declare it: otherwise they would consider it a matter of blind imitation. They go so far as to reflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine revelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the divine and scientific questions are solved by them through the power of the spirit. Bahá'u'lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time -- he cannot both speak and meditate. It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed… Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit -- the bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation. The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heavenly food. Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that state man withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as endowed with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being used the outward power of vision does not see. This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God. This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God. Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are like waves moving in the sea without result. But if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine attributes, the results will be confirmed. The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the spirit of man is contemplating earthly subjects he will be informed of these. But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained. Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed -- turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly objects -- so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and comprehend the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the spirit. May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the heavenly realities, and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of heaven. 

Later the two cat boys made pawfuls of kisses and blew them in the air with their best wishes.

 Ciao everyone!

The chase that followed the first chase...

For some time now the mornings have all included a squirrel chase.  I use the time to practice capturing better photos but I have not improved much since the lighting changes quite a bit.  Also, I am quite unawake and in addition, the cat boys throw monkey wrenches in my way, one day they are cooperative and the next day, not.

More recently, early mornings have made room for two chases: first, the sassy squirrels and second, the persistent pigeons.

Not too many poses are as adorable as the kitty hunt pose.  Mr Sweet Pants, after showing a good bit of patience, finally spotted one of the pigeons on the ground.  He was sure that he had no desire to eat pigeons but chasing one was an entirely different story.

The pose drew Mr Puffy Pants who did not mind even eating pigeons.  He shared that they were a delicacy in China and so, why not eat the pigeons.

Here we have two superimposed cats, clearly the orange one has been eating out.  I will be searching for diner or diners that he has been visiting as of late.

There he goes....one little step

followed by another...

and another...

"!Next time you will be mine", he meowed.

Two cat boys...happy with their morning chases,

stroll around as wild cats do.

I provided the snacks to help them calm down and relax into a posture of reading, learning, and reflection.

We had been talking about praying and prayers, and so we read:


"O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer.  Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no pretext whatsoever is excused from performing prayer unless he be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him.  The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion.
The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity.
When lovers meet it may be that they cannot exchange a single word, yet with their hearts they speak to one another. Thus do the clouds speak to the earth and the rain comes down; the breeze whispers to the trees; the sun speaks to the eyes of men. Although this is not actual speech yet this is the way in which the hearts of the friends communicate..." (Abdul Baha, Star of the West, Oct 1922)


This pleased the cat boys greatly.  Ollie lied down enjoying.  Augustus found his own space.

Cat boys sent you pawfuls of kisses and their very best wishes for a beautiful weekend!

Ciao everyone!

The wall monitors

at work.  It is another extraordinary morning that seems ordinary at first.  The neighborhood pigeons await the cat boys and the cat boys await the pigeons.

Mr Sweet Pants looked at Mr Puffy Pants.  They conversed with looks wondering if this was the right time to start the chase.

They gauged the heights...easy enough but what could be up there.

Meanwhile a sassy squirrel thought that he could go unnoticed!

Cat boys gave the synchronized incredulous look that exclaimed, '\"you are kidding, right?".

"I shall take care of you", said Mr Puffy Pants.  He is a decisive cat.

"Come to me...closer, closer"

"A little closer...closer..."

"Whaa?!!"

I asked Augustus what I should meditate on and he said:

"Meditate on what the poet hath written: "Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him."... Considering what God hath revealed to man that "We are closer to man than his life-vein," the poet hath, in allusion to this verse, stated that, though the revelation of my Best-Beloved hath so permeated my being that He is closer to me than my life-vein, yet, notwithstanding my certitude of its reality and my recognition of my station, I am still so far removed from Him. By this he meaneth that his heart, which is the seat of the All-Merciful and the throne wherein abideth the splendor of His revelation, is forgetful of its Creator, hath strayed from His path, hath shut out itself from His glory, and is stained with the defilement of earthly desires.…Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his own self, whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory. It is evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than his own self. He will, indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true God knoweth all things, perceiveth all things, and comprehendeth all things, mortal man is prone to err, and is ignorant of the mysteries that lie enfolded within him...." (Gleanings_Baha'u'llah)

I needed that.

Cat boys went about their ways, one went to check the storm drain, and that would be Mr Puffy Pants, and the other went indoors for some reflection and plotting, Mr Sweet Pants. They both sent kisses with their sweet cat lips.

Ciao everyone!